Statewide IT Planning (SWITP) is a collaborative, ongoing process led by the North Dakota Information Technology department (NDIT). It brings together state agencies with NDIT to define and maintain a shared vision for technology. The result is the Statewide IT Plan, which is a strategic guide that aligns agency goals with statewide technology priorities.
Why It Matters
- Legal Requirement: Mandated by ND Century Code (NDCC 54-59-11 and others)
- Strategic Alignment: Ensures agency IT efforts support statewide goals
- Better Funding Justification: Helps agencies secure resources for IT initiatives
- Reduces Duplication: Encourages shared solutions and collaboration
- Transparency and Accountability: Supports legislative reporting and oversight
Who Participates?
Currently, 52 “Executive Branch Agencies” are required to participate in IT planning. To see if your agency is one of them, and who your NDIT technology business partner is who may work with you on all things IT strategy, see the current list.
- Executive Branch Agencies: Required to participate
- Judicial & Legislative Branches: Not required
- Higher Education: Coordinates planning but not required to submit information to NDIT
How It Works: The Planning Roadmap
The SWITP process follows a quarter-by-quarter roadmap that includes:
- Strategy refresh and demand shaping
- Application inventory and roadmapping
- Project prioritization and budget planning
- Legislative reporting and support
Each quarter of the roadmap outlines specific responsibilities for:
- NDIT roles (e.g., Technology Business Partners, Enterprise Architects)
- Agency expectations (e.g., strategy updates, project requests)
A detailed 11x17 diagram of the biennial roadmap offers a 1-page view of quarterly expectations.
The SWITP training slide deck offers a high-level view, along with additional information.
The SWITP training video provides a guided walkthrough of the training presentation.
Key Tools and Templates
These tools help NDIT and partner agencies document, prioritize, and track business needs and related IT initiatives. See the Statewide IT Plan page for more information and for links.
- Strategic Vision and Goals
- Business Roadmap
- Application Inventory and Roadmap
- IT Ideas List (agency initiatives lists in the ND Service Portal)
- NDVIEW Project Portfolio Dashboard
Supporting Structures
- NDIT Customer Advisory Group: Gathers feedback from agencies that influences long-term planning
- NDIT Enterprise Architecture Board: Maintains cross-agency standards, blueprints and guidelines
- Initiative Intake Process: Entry point for new IT ideas and initiatives
- Portfolio Steering Committee: Prioritizes IT projects quarterly
Walkthrough of NDCC § 54-59-11 With Key Definitions
NDCC § 54-59-11. Information technology plans.
Each executive branch state agency or institution, excluding the institutions under the control of the board of higher education, unless the chief information officer grants an exemption, shall participate in the information technology planning process based on guidelines developed by the department. The statewide information technology plan must be developed with emphasis on agency strategic goals, business objectives, and alignment to statewide information technology initiatives.
- Executive Branch State Agency or Institution: A public organization that operates under the executive branch of state government and is responsible for implementing laws and administering state programs and services.
- Board of Higher Education: A governing body responsible for overseeing public postsecondary education institutions, typically including universities and colleges. In North Dakota, institutions under the control of the State Board of Higher Education are not subject to this IT planning mandate. Per NDCC § 15-10-44.2, however, the SBHE collaborates with the information technology department to coordinate higher education information technology planning with statewide information technology planning.
- Chief Information Officer (CIO): The senior executive responsible for overseeing information technology strategy across state agencies. The CIO has the authority to grant exemptions from participating in the statewide IT planning process, allowing the focus of IT planning activities to span across those agencies that would be most impacted by statewide IT strategies.
- Information Technology Planning Process: A structured approach by which agencies and the Information Technology Department assess, define, and prioritize IT needs and initiatives in alignment with broader strategic goals and statewide directives. This process is guided by specific criteria and timelines set by “the department,” meaning NDIT in the context of this law.
- The (Information Technology) Department: The state agency responsible for overseeing and coordinating IT functions and strategy across executive agencies. It issues guidelines for the planning process and ensures consistency with statewide objectives.
- Statewide Information Technology Plan: A comprehensive strategic body of information that outlines the state’s long-term IT vision, priorities, and initiatives. It ensures coordinated efforts across agencies to improve service delivery, increase efficiency, and support the achievement of statewide goals.
- Agency Strategic Goals: Long-term outcomes established by individual agencies that define their purpose and direction, typically aligned with their mission and legislative mandates. Goals are aspirational and may take multiple years or biennia to accomplish.
- Business Objectives: Specific, measurable actions that agency staff intend to accomplish within a defined timeframe to support their strategic goals. These often involve improving operational performance, customer service, or cost-effectiveness.
- Alignment to Statewide Information Technology Initiatives: The process of ensuring that individual agency IT plans and projects support and are consistent with broader state IT priorities, such as cybersecurity, digital transformation, shared services, and infrastructure modernization.